Fountain pen



Jan. 25, 1944.

D.. KAI-1N ETAL FOUNTAIN P'EN Filed Oct. 3l, 1942 www Patented Jan. 25, 1944 FOUNTAIN PEN David Kahn, Englewood, and John William Para, Elizabeth, N. J., assignors to David Kahn, Inc., North Bergen, N. J., a corporation of New Jer- Sey Application October 31, 1942,

12 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-47) The present invention relates to a, new and improved fountain pen, more particularly the present invention relates to a fountain pen of the general type in which pen-filling` is effected by rearward movement of a piston in the pen barrel.

Although fountain pens of this general type have been known in the art for some time, they` were subject to a number of fau1ts. In general, in pens of this type no rubber sac is provided and the barrel itself is designed to hold the ink. While this method of construction results in relatively large capacity, it is extremely difficult to Y prevent leaks in the lower and upper ends of the barrel reservoir.r In particular, the rear end or upper end of the barrel has been especially diiicult to liquid-proof. This latter was particularly true because the operating means for the piston extended through any closure means for the upper or rear end of the barrel. It is quite understandable that in a construction of a small size, as in a fountain pen, it is dicult to provide a suitable packing or other means about an operating stem, which must necessarily be provided in this type of pen. Since the parts of the pen are relatively small, it has been the usual practice to m-ake these parts of metal, which presented another source of diiculty.Y In other words, it has been found very difcult to produce a leak-proof joint between the various metal parts and the barrel which has been convention ally made of plastic material.

It is one of the objects of the present invention therefore to provide a novel construction for a fountain pen or the like wherein substantially all the members thereof are formed from plastic material suitably bonded by compatible plastic cement.

A second object of the present invention is to provide'means for mounting a manually-rotatable piston-operating member in the rear end of the pen barrel and to make effective provision for sealing the mounting means against leakage.

A third object of the present invention is to provide liquid-proof sealing means for the entire barrel of a fountain pen so as to convert said barrel into an effective reservoir for ink.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means for securing a piston to the front end of an operating member in a simple and effective manner so as to prevent relative rotation between the piston and its carrying member.

vA fthobject ofthe present invention isto provide a novel closure. plug for the rear end of a fountain pen barrel of the character des ber, showing it in readiness to receive said memserial No. 464,016

scribed, said closure plug being adapted to carry a bearing for an operating stem.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a novel sealin-g member for a pistonoperated stem which is capable of being removed from the rear end of a. fountain pen barrel.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a novel sealing arrangement'in a pen of the character described, including a novel Apacking means for an operating member.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the subsequent description and figures of the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view,

- partly in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the bearing' for the manually-rotatable piston-operating member.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the' aforesaid bearmg.

Referring to the figures of the drawing and particularly Figure 1 thereof, a fountain pen according to the present invention is indicated in general at 5,. Fountain pen Sincludes a pen barrel 6 of a suitable plastic tube, hereinafter set forth invdetail.

The'pen barrel 6 is provided with front and rear closure plugs 1 and 8 respectively, said plugs each having circumferential grooves 9 lled with cement Ill to secure them fluid-tightly in place. The front plug 'l projects forwardly'from the barrel 6 and carries the pen point Il and the customary feed means I2. As a safeguard against possible leak, this plug 1 is formed with a rearwardly facing shoulder I3 spaced slightly in advance of the barrel 6, and a cement sealing ring I4 is conned in the space between said shoulder and barrel.

The rear plug 8 projects slightly rearward from the barrel 6 and is threaded at I5 for detachably holdin-g a cap I6 in place, said cap normally housing a knob l1 which is manuallyrotatable to actuate a piston I8 in the barrel 6, to effect filling of said barrel.

The rear plug 8 is formed with a central opening or bore I9, the front portion 20 of which is of reduced diameter, providing said plug 8 with an internal rearwardlyfacing shoulder. 2i .directly member 35. The two halves of the bearing mem ber are then closed sufficiently to allow the bearing member to be wedged into the bore I9 of the plug 8. Since the bearing member normally tends to spring apart, the bearing will be held immovably relative to the plug Il. It is to be understood however that even when the two halves 36 of thebearing member are in a closed position within the bore lI9 the bearing member iits rather loosely about the journal 3l, so that v the journal may be rotated relative to the bearknob rst in one direction and then in the other serves to move the piston I8 first forwardly and then rearwardly, allowing the rearward mover ment to draw ink into the barrelGtliroughtlie' feed. The threads of screw'25 'and nut26" are preferably rather steeply pitched to minimize the number of revolutions which/must .begifv'exrthe:y

'Ihe front end of the member 23 is provided" against removal. therefromi The piston vI8 ts30 tightly upon thestub .26 that saidpistoniholdthe member 23 against ro- 1 tationwiththe. screw `25,.,provisionis made-inv suririg this,.ev.en, though '..the stub 25 4should.be

I and,L ask it' is essential come somewhat loosened in saidpiston. This provisionzconsistsof apin 29 tightly forced into alignedcpeningsrlt.inlthe.elements.28, I3, 21. and U23;.said;pin'beingradiallyI spaced from and preferably parallel with the stub 26.- This pin` may be .cemented in place ifi desired.

Theiscrew. 252iskprovidedA withajournal 3I withiniandof less diameter than the major portion of the bore I9, behind the shoulder 2|. At the front endv ofi this.` journal Van integral enlargement 32 is formed on the screw 25. The shoulder.formed` bythefront side -of said enlargement-being Y seatedagainst the sealing ring 22S aboyedescribed.` At the rear end ofthe journall* I; isthe .aforementioned-- knob I 1.

The rearsurface of the enlargement 32 forms a rearwardly facing shoulder 313 at thefront end. of/the. journalftI.'V Similarly the4 forwardlyfacingsurfaceof` theknob I'I forms a forwardlyfacing `shoulder 3'6at `therear end of thejournalf3I; 35 which is preferably frictionally secured in the majorportionbfthebore I9.A` TheA front endof thisbearing abuts thel shoulder- 33 and the'rear endof the bearingabuts' the shoulder `2ll` so that these shoulders form endthrust surfaces for preventing longitudinal sliding movement of the screw 25, longitudinally relative to .the pen barrel. The bearing 35 consistsof two semi-cylindrical halves 3Iil (see Figures 4 and 5) and a reducedlbendable web 51, integrally uniting. one longitudinal-edge-of one of said halves with the correspondinglongitudinal edge of `the otherv of said halves.` As best seen in Fig. 4 the .two .halves 36 of the bearing member 35before'assembly 'occupy relatively open positions in readiness to re- 1 Thefountainpenilling mechanism is assem.-

Surroundingthe'journal'll` is a bearing 40 is .muchv easierrtoA form a ing.. vThe assembly consisting'of the plug 8, journal' 3I` and screw 25, is then placed within the rearfendf. of. the fountain pen barrel 6, cement A .havingbeen previously placed within the grooves 9. Upon the solidication of the cement, the plug 8 is rmly held within the rear end of the barrelfland noy ink can leak past the cement in the sealing grooves. No leakage can take place aroundf'the screw 25 since the sealing member 22m-is held between the shoulder 2| and the forward end ofV the enlargement 32 and effectively sealsmthe opening 20. The piston assembly is then. placedy in the barrel vfromv the front end while.the knob .I1 is beingy rotated until -the threads on the screw 25 mesh with the threads inlthe. nui;V 24.-` Thereafter the front plug 'I is cemented-into the front end of the barrel so .as toformaleak-proof'closurefor this end. Itis to Aluie-noted thatprior to assembling the front plug, cementis placed in the grooves I0 and on the vrearwardly-facingshoulder I3.` A suitable cap SRandclip 39 have been illustratedvand may befofr any well-known construction.

Allv ofthe parts ofthe fountain pen, according to-tlie present t invention. are .preferablymade fromaplastic materials. vIt, is to be'noted that if" beth the lplugs at each end of the barrel and tlaba'rrel. are formed from these materials, it leakproof bond between tlfie=pligs` and the barrel. The various parts can also ,beeasily molded if they are formed from the various `types of thermoplastic material.

Therrnopla'stic materialswhich are suitable for.

use iniaccorda'nce with the present inventionrare:

1.1 Phenol-formaldehyde. resins, as for example.

Bakelite which is thermosetting in chaTacter.- In other words, if Bakelite wereused for'molding or frmngthe fountain pen of the present in- ,ventin,the. moldingcomposition in its incom ple'telysetform would be ymolded-into "shape and then heated to producet-thenal product by.'-

polymerization.

V2.' 'Erfural resina-These. resins are also ther--v mos'etting in character and would be subsequently f.

l`15herinosetting, while others are thermoplastic.l In

other words, the` thermoplastic resins. and glyptal resins-whenused .canbe shaped by applying heat" form. herein disclosed` after having to the. desired been initially' supplied in bars or tubes...

5.. Vinylfand styrene` resina-These resins fare generally produced. by polymerizing styreneor vinyl-benzine. Theyare highly thermoplasticin character. .and 'easily'. molded 'by the. application of. heat. In many forms they. are clearor colorless andarev sufficiently tough. and` elastic for. the t purposeA oflthepresent invention.

6.` vAdf'olezn; and acrylic acid resins.-An exam?- ple of..V this ,it pe. of resin isz that` known. as ,Leu

cite?? "The acryl or .acro'lein resins are optically clear andhave-ahighindex of refractiona- They:-

present an extremely attractive appearance for a pen of this character for this reason.

'1. Cellulose esters and others-Examples of this type of plastic are celluloseacetate and cellulose nitrate. These plastics are thermosoftening, in other words, they soften when heated and can be formed by suitable diesinto a pen as set forth.

8. Hard Taliban-Hard -rubber differs from the soft exible type of rubber in that it contains from 20% to 30% of sulphur. Hard rubber compositions in general are thermoplasticand can be molded to a suitable shape such as the pen of the present invention.

9. chlorinated Taliban-This material is thermoplastic in character and in sufficient thickness represents a thermoplastic material within the range of'this invention. A form of chlorinated rubber is that-product sold in sheets under the trade name of Plioflm 10. Synthetic rubber compositions-These in general exhibit the same qualities as hard rubber and can be similarly used.

It is to be understood that mixtures of plastic materials may be suitable in the present invention and that stiifeners or fillers such as brous materials, as well as plasticizers may be essential to produce a material having the desired qualities.

The plastic materials as above set forth can be bonded by suitable cements, preferably a cement is used kconsisting of a compatible plastic material in a solvent which will affect, or partially dissolve, the material of the pen. For example, if the pen in general is formed from a cellulose nitrate material, the cement should preferably consist of cellulose nitrate together with suitable llers in a solvent such as acetone, preferably in admixture with other solvents such as lower alcohols which are more or less volatile than the acetone. It is essential that the cement whatever its constitution be capable of drying s o as to be completely impenetrable to :any ordinary form of Writing ink.

Referring to the sealing ring 22, this may be of any compressble material, such as paper, or paper impregnated with a synthetic resin, such as a phenol formaldehyde resin or aurea resin. The paper may be impregnated with any synthetic resin which will increase'the sealing properties of the paper and prevent any possible leakage of the ink fromthe rear end of the valve should there be a slight leakage past the piston I8. While paper has been set forth as the preierred material, any compressble material maybe used which will effect the desired result, including many cellulosic materials such as paper, paper board, finely matted wood pulp, leather, felt, and the like, and these may be impregnated, if desired, with a synthetic resin. Instead of using a paper sealing ring, the sealing ring may be made of a synthetic resin including any of the condensation products hereinbefore set forth as suitable for the production of the fountain pen barrel. These materials may be thermoplastic or may be thermosetting in character. The sealing ring may also be a compressble metal, as for example, Woods metal and similar alloys.

What is claimed is:

l. In a fountain pen, a barrel having a rear end closure formed with a central opening, a piston in said barrel slidable rearwardly to fill the same, operating means for said piston including a central longitudinal manually-rotatable operating member having a journal within and f' der at the front end of said journal and of less diameter than said opening, said operating member having an end-thrust surface adjacent said journal, and -a bearing surrounding said journal and having an end-thrust surface abutting the aforesaid end-thrust surface, said bearing being tightly held in said opening.

2. In a fountain pen, a barrel having a rear end closure formed with Aa central opening, a piston in said barrel slidable rearwardly to ll the same, operatingmeans for said piston including a central longitudinal manually-rotatable operating member having a journal within and of less diameter than said opening, said operating member having a rearwardly facing shoula forwardly facing shoulder at the rear end of said journal, and a bearing surrounding said journal and having frontand rear ends abutting said front and rear shoulders respectively, said bearing being tightly secured in said opening.

3. In a fountain pen, a, barrel having a rear end closure formed with a central bore, said bore having a front portion of reduced diameter and a rearwardly facing shoulder Vimmediately behind said reduced front portion; a piston in said barrel slidable rearwardly to iill the same, operating means for said piston including a central longitudinal manually rotatable operating member extending rearwardly through said bore, said operating member having a forwardly facing shoulder and a journal behind said forwardly facing shoulder, said journal being within and of smaller diameter than the major portion of said bore behind said reduced front portion, said forwardly -facing shoulder `being spaced behind said rearwardly facing shoulder, a sealing ring surrounding said operating member and abutting both of the aforesaid shoulders, and a bearing surrounding said journal and tightly secured in said major portion of said bore, said bearing and operating member having coacting end-thrust surfaces holding said operating member against sliding and thereby retaining said sealing ring against the aforesaid shoulders.v

4. In a fountain pen, avbarrel having a rear end closure formed with a central bore, said bore having a front portion of reduced diameter and a rearwardly facing shoulder immediately behind said reduced front portion, a piston in said barrel slidable rearwardly to ill the same, operating means for said piston including a central longitudinal manually rotatable operating member extending rearwardly through said bore, said operating member having a journal Within and of less diameter than the major portion of said bore, an enlargement at the front end of said journal spaced behind the aforesaid rearwardly facing shoulder, and a knob at the rear of said journal disposed behind said closure, a sealing ring between said enlargement and said shoulder and abutting both thereof, and a bearing surrounding said journal and tightly secured in said major portion of said bore, the front and rear ends of said bearing abutting the rear side of said enlargement and the front end of said knob respectively and thereby holding said operating member against sliding.

5. In a fountain pen, a barrel having an internally cylindrical end, a closure plug tightly fitted into said end and having a peripheral groove, and a sealing cement lling said groove to secure said plug and prevent leakage, said plug having an external shoulder spaced outwardly from the adjacent extremity of said barrel, and a plastic sealinglfrin'g ltightlyllling.. the space' between said shoulder.' andlsadtbarreliextremity.

6.-. Inlarfountain peni;..a bearing for aimanually` member 'andffbeing-Y .then ciosable .for insertion' intollthe :pen .bar/rel;-

7 Iri'fafountainipern` apiston-car-rying member having an.' integral forwardly projecting stub centrallylocatedon. its frontend, a-yieldable pistrririliabutting. relation with said 'front' end otsai'd.'pistoni-carrying member and' having a central. opening: snugly receiving said stub,V a Wa'slienlyihgLagainst the '-front' side of said piston and snug-lyfsurrounding-said stub, said Washer, piston' andi lpiston-carrying memberV having aligned openings rspacedradially/'from said stub, andi a-.Ipin-securedin said aligned openings to prevent rotation' ofsaid piston-carrying member withlrespect to saidpi'stom 8.4 In! ai-fountainpen, including a barrel, a pistonlmounted-Wi'thinsaid barrel for reciprocating movement longitudinally thereof, a closure plug intherear end'ofhsaid barrel, means extending through said closure plugfandmovable relative thereto for operating'said-piston, a split bearing member. frictionally `held in-an immovable manner within saidrclosureplug and coacting means on said .bearing member and said operating meansiorsaidpiston to prevent longitudinal movement of said operating means relative to saidba'rrel.

9.1- .Inaffountain pen, including a barrel, a piston .mounted within said barrel for reciprocating movement longitudinally thereof, a closure plug in .'.the rear endiof 'said barrel, means extending through said closure plugand movable relative thereto for operating said piston, a split bearing member frictionally held in an immovable manner withinlsaid closure plug and coacting means one said: .bearing member and said operating mean'sifforsaid piston toprevent longitudinal movementof said operating means relative to said barrel; .and sealing means-adjacent the inner end of-said closureplug and surrounding said pistoni operating member to inhibit' ink leakager through-"said closure member.

aasogso 10..-Ii1' a fountain pen; including aba-frei,1 a pisa ton mounted!Withinfsaidlbarrelr'reciprocating movement longitudinallif thereofya thermoplastic clsurefphig'in'tlierear 'end off'sald barrelgmeans extending f-throughsaid closure plug fand movable relative'-tlieretol for 'operatingfsa-id piston,- 'a lsplitA bearing member frictionally-held'inanimm'ovable manner Within said closure v meanscn said-bearing memberand-sad operating meansor sai'df' pistorrtof prevent longitudinal'- movementfof said operating `meansrelative to-'said barrel?A sealing means adi aeentthe fin'ner end off said fclo'sure'A plug" and surrounding-"said -pistoinA operating member to inhibit ink-leakage'throughi saidclosure member; and 'cementing means-uniting-saidi lo'sure plug tofthe :barrel member compns'irig la" dried,- solidified,V thermoplastie 'cement' produced-'by the drying of-a solutionof a thermo-'- plastic` cementfin asolvent-which; lprior` to drying,-

tive-tliereto for operating lsaid piston, includ-ing a v'pisto'n--'carryingymember,` rn'e'ans to prevent' ro'" tation of said pisto'necarrying'member withre-` spect to the piston, a split bearing member frie-y tionall'y'hel-d in an immovablemanner'within said closurel plu'g and"coacting'means' on "said 4bearing member' 'and 'said-operating `means-for said piston to prevent longitudinal movement of' said operating'means relative to said-barrel.'y

l'2f.""In` a fountainpen; including a barrel; .ay pistonJ mpunted'v within said'i barrel lfor re'cipr'o'- eating-movementllongitudinallytlereof, a closure pluglin=therear endof said barrel; means extend'- ing through said Vclosure-` plug 'and movable relative tlieretofor operatingsaid piston; including a `piston-carrying member; Washers adjacent the fron-t' and'rear surfaces-of' said piston and "sur rounding said '-pistoneca'rrying. member;v means to prevent rotation of said pistoni-carryingmem# ber withtrespect tot thei'pistong a split bearing memberffrictionaliy held in an immovable. manner within *saidclosure" vplug and 'coacting means onsaid'bearingmember'and said operating means for saidpistonto prevent longitudinal movement on said operatingmeans' relative to" said barrel.

" D'AVlD'KAI-IN.

JOHN WILLIAM PARA."

plug A and\'coacting 

